In my last post, on the third anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, I suggested that Occupy may soon be waking from its slumber. I even invited y'all to a couple events that I hoped would signal the return of OWS -- the People's Climate March on Sunday and the #FloodWallStreet demonstration on Monday, both timed to precede the UN Climate meetings in NYC this week. Sure enough, the largest climate march in history went off in NYC on Sunday, with over 300,000 activists taking to Manhattan's Upper West Side and Midtown streets (even the busy 6th avenue and 42nd street). And the Flood Wall Street sit-in action, organized by Occupy activists, plugged the streets of the financial district with over a thousand blue-clad protesters, NYPD vehicles and barricades, and all-around-feel-good direct action. Over one hundred activists, including one dressed as a polar bear and four others in wheel chairs, were proudly arrested for their civil disobedience Monday night.

Of course, not everyone is as pleased with this "disruptive" activity as I am, and the trolls have surely been out in full force. While it's certainly not that trolls are worthy of my time and energy, much less a thoughtfully measured response, I do feel that it's worth explaining to my own readers what my goals and motives were in participating in these two actions. I also feel that it's worth responding to critics (and comrades, to be sure) from the so-called progressive left, who have argued (with much merit, I think) that the actions were not radical enough. Some even criticized me personally for not going all the way, for not subjecting myself to arrest during the Flood Wall Street action (for example).

So let's start with some backstory.

Earlier in the month, I started to see posters and fliers about the People's Climate March all around the city -- on light poles, in store fronts, even at my new job (I work at an outdoor sporting goods store, so besides any individual ethics we associates may have for environmental stewardship and care, the company itself has a vested interest in a healthy planet; it's those of us with individual-ethics-for-environmental-stewardship-and-care that make up their entire customer base! One customer came in to support our store just because she saw the poster hanging on the front door). At my neighborhood community bookshop, Word Up, we carried fliers and posters for the march as well. But it wasn't until I helped host an info session about the People's Climate March at the bookshop that I saw how significant this march might ultimately be.

I signed up for the newsletter and became more and more hyped about participating in this event, even though it was scheduled for my birthday, September 21 (a date also appropriately recognized as the International Day of Peace). Then, just a week or two before the Climate March, I also received word from my various Occupy-related newsletters that the Flood Wall Street demonstration would be scheduled for the very next day and involve civil disobedience.

Why was I so excited about these demonstrations, even to the point that I would march on my own birthday?

I joined these two actions for the same reasons that I've joined so many other protests and demonstrations over the years -- primarily, to bear witness to them and to contribute my own voice and music to the din of the protests.

There are so many myths and rumors about what happened at Occupy Wall Street in the fall of 2011. I still hear and read about them all the time. But no one can argue with my first-hand memory of what happened at Zuccotti Park during those months, or on the Brooklyn Bridge when 700 protesters were arrested, or now what happened when we flooded Wall Street on Monday. Reading newspapers or history books will never replace the experience of actually having been there and seen it with my own eyes (at this point, I expect that if newspapers or history books bother covering these events at all, they will not likely tell the stories very accurately).

Secondly, I'm a musician. Singer, songwriter, performance artist. At my core. So I am not fully present or really making a worthwhile contribution to anything if I'm not also using these gifts and passions. And I joined these demonstrations because I wanted to be sure that the folks in places of power -- be it the United Nations or the financiers on Wall Street -- could hear our cry for climate justice; so on Sunday I brought my mandolin, on Monday my guitar, and on both days, my voice to sing and shout on behalf of the planet.

Now, one of the critiques that has been leveled against the efficacy of these marches is that they don't care. The UN heads of state and Wall Street bankers don't care about how many hundreds of thousands of people march through midtown Manhattan, or about how many get themselves arrested. And they sure as hell don't care about the climate, which is why these demonstrations were organized in the first place! So what's the point? All that time and energy, all those resources spent. For what?

I'll be the first to admit that people in power are not likely to heed our call, to hear our protest. I'm not so deluded as to think that they give a rip about how many people showed up or what we had to say. Insofar as that may have been a goal for many demonstrators, I'll join the trolls in saying that we wasted our time. Nevertheless, I'm certain that these demonstrations will prove to have served much the same purpose that the Occupy Movement always has: to galvanize and mobilize communities across the country and the world to take matters -- in this case, climate justice -- into their own hands. Also, I've written before about the importance of direct action and I'll say it again: throwing a monkey wrench into the cogs of an unjust system will always be a welcome gesture, in my book. Perhaps the folks in power don't care about what we have to say, but when our (direct) actions begin to affect them, I get the feeling they'll start to listen!

That being said, it's true that I was not willing to go all the way on Monday, to be arrested along with so many of my comrades. It just wasn't in the cards for me, not this time. I have many other commitments to my family and community right now that preclude me from volunteering myself for civil disobedience and arrest. Besides, to be perfectly honest, there are many other issues more important to me than climate justice -- such as justice for the poor, for immigrants, for veterans, for sweatshop workers, and for victims of US war and violence all over the world. How can we expect to treat the planet with dignity and respect when we still don't know how to treat other human beings in that way? These will continue to be my priority and certainly causes worthy of my voluntary arrest, should such opportunities ever present themselves.

Finally, to my lefty friends and colleagues who argue that either of these actions were not radical enough, I invite you to please tell me, tell us -- what are you doing that we can also take part in, to dismantle exploitative capitalist and corporatist systems, to bring climate justice to our planet? The People's Climate March and the Flood Wall Street demonstrations were not meant to take us all the way, they were not ends in themselves (thank you for reminding us of that), but rather steps in the right direction -- among them raising awareness, energizing a political base, and challenging the status quo. Perhaps with your help we can continue marching that way, keeping the end in full view.

P.S. for the trolls...

Yes, I own and use an iPhone

Yes, I eat food and wear clothes produced by the capitalist system; and yes, I do have a day job (believe it or not)

No, these facts do not delegitimize any critiques that I or other protesters (who also succumb to modern-day needs of communicating with peers/comrades,eating foodand wearing clothes) may have about capitalism and its impact on the environment

Yes, climate change and capitalism (as we know it) are real problems that ought to be addressed

No, we actually don't have anything better to do because addressing climate change is that important

And no, I don't need a shower (it's not that day of the week). I appreciate your concern, but perhaps you should focus on the climate situation, which stinks at lot worse than any of us protesters do

On the last Friday of every month I debate whether I really want to trek all the way from my home in Hamilton Heights to Union Square for the Critical Mass bicycle ride in NYC. Last month I decided not to, as it was probably freezing out.

Then several days later I saw video footage from the Critical Mass ride in Porto Alegre, Brazil, held the same night. I was horrified by what I saw (Disclaimer: you need only watch the first minute, but you'll find it hard not to watch more...)

If you're watching this video for the first time, then you're probably - hopefully - as horrified as I was (am); and perhaps you don't even know what Critical Mass is, much less why anyone would commit so heinous an act. Allow me to explain.

Critical Mass is a community bike ride that began in San Francisco in the early 1990s and has since spread to hundreds of cities around the world. "[It] focuses on the rights of bicyclists and the rights of pedestrians on our own streets. It also brings attention to the deteriorating quality of life... that cars create for cities." Thus, at it's core, Critical Mass is protest. Large cities like San Francisco and New York have pulled numbers in the hundreds at their monthly rides; Budapest's Earth Day rides have boasted tens of thousands; and even smaller cities and towns around the world have events that draw a few dozen riders.

When you've got that many protestant bicyclists riding on one street, "corking" intersections so that the entire group can travel en masse, ringing their bells, hootin' and hollerin', and generally having a much more enjoyable time than folks in cars trying to make their way home through rush-hour traffic on a Friday evening... well, let's just say that said folks-in-cars get a bit "backed up" and sometimes a little pissed off. The driver in the video above may have been one such folk.Nevertheless, his barbarous action was inordinately violent, certainly uncalled for, and personally infuriating. I knew I had no choice but to ride the Critical Mass event in March - rain or shine, regardless of temperature, nothing would stop me. There's just something powerful about solidarity.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::I first began riding Critical Mass in Orlando. One hundred or more bicyclists would roll into Loch Haven park each month, congregating for the evening's ride. The events were typically peaceful, even joyful, undisturbed rides. The police rarely got involved and when they did, they would simply ride at the rear, keeping a respectful distance. Orlando could also boast enviable weather year-round.

The New York City ride is, sufficed to say, a different experience: the temperature was reportedly 36 degrees F tonight, thought it felt much colder with the wind; and generally speaking, NYPD does not take kindly to protests. Especially - and inexplicably - not to the peace-loving riders of Critical Mass. Ever since the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, things have been strangely askew.

These days, it's not so extreme - Critical Mass is only followed by a dozen or two police on motor scooters who hand out summons like cake at a birthday party.

My own rides in NYC began in April 2010. I had been warned about frivolous ticketing for lacking bike lights and bells, running red lights, etc. So I did my best to follow the rules and was thankfully never body-checked by police. But I did receive a summons for riding outside the bike lane. It was speedily dismissed in the hearing, as the officer supposedly didn't recall the incident - even though he gave a summons to at least one other CM rider that very same night, for the very same offense. We must not be memorable people :/

I participated again, at least two or three more times throughout 2010 and it was always the same. The bicyclists would arrive some time between seven and eight, we'd all ride off together with the police in lukewarm pursuit, and bicyclists would be pulled over to be given summons for ridiculous reasons.

At the outset, tonight's ride was looking to be much the same. When I arrived at the scene, Union Square north, there were maybe five bicyclists and easily a dozen police (you'd think we were Al Qaeda!). When we finally shoved off, there were maybe fifteen CM-ers total, though many had splintered off hoping to lose the police early on. By the time we reunited, there were still more than enough police hanging in there ("enough" technically being zero), following alongside or behind us. We stayed near Union Square for the first half-hour or so and then made our way up to Central Park. By the time we arrived, only seven or eight of us remained and apparently only two police were needed to quell our potentially explosive demonstration.

I'm pleased to report that for the first time in all my CM NYC experience, no bicyclists were summoned to answer for their heinous crimes (you know, like building community and activating peace). The police kept to themselves, riding closely, buffering the road between us cyclists and the bustling NYC traffic. It actually felt like an escort. Nobody was run over and I can say that I am proud to have stood in solidarity for my brothers and sisters in Porto Alegre. A great time was had by all and certainly by me... although I did spend the entire ride freezing my ass off.Click here to read more about the philosophy, practice, history of Critical Mass.

I've said that flipping phones is part of my revolution. This may seem silly to some. But to me, it's very serious. It's all a part of the way I love people and the way I intend to communicate the truth of the Kingdom of God. You may do this differently. Ultimately, however, if you are indeed following Christ, then you are a revolutionary by default.

I sent the following in response to an e-mail from my sister. It sheds light on what I mean when I say "revolution" and further explains what I've said above.

Webster's definition is probably more suitable than you realize, and I think the following points will really help me illustrate the revolution I'm talking about:

revolution: an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.

Here are the premises...1) Jesus spoke much about the Kingdom of God, that it was very near. Many contemporary Christians believe that He was talking about Heaven, the place you go when you die. I have come to understand it as Heaven, the place that God wants the earth to become. Hence, "Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven" (Mt 6:10).

2) Jesus established the Church to make the Kingdom a reality on earth. We are charged to make it happen. And if His Kingdom comes, then clearly, some other kingdom must fall.

3) God=LoveTherefore, the more we love, the more God's presence is known and felt; the more his Kingdom is manifested; and, of course, the more we drive out the kingdom of violence, evil, sin, demons, and worldliness. Hence the manifestation of God's Kingdom represents the usurpation of the earth from the hands of evil - the replacement spoken of by Webster.

Given the above premises, the revolution is love. And, by identity, love is the revolution. When we love, we are instituting a new Kingdom - a Heaven on Earth, if you will. We are bringing God and His Kingdom to reality.

This worldview has had a profound impact on how I interact with God and with His creation. I am no longer passive. I don't pray anymore for God to bring peace, happiness, joy, comfort, food, or freedom. Or at least when I do pray these things, I often find God turning it back on me. When I was in Paris and I prayed those things for Orlando, Chicago, and Thailand, God simply said, "YOU do it! YOU bring peace, YOU bring joy, YOU bring freedom! That's what I created you for." I believe that part of being created in God's image means recognizing that we have the power, ability, and desire to do those things that we pray for. And if we don't recognize the power, ability, and desire, then either 1) God does not have the P, A, or D; 2) we are not indeed created in God's image; or 3) we are being deceived by ourselves and by satan. I'm fairly confident that it's number 3.

In conclusion, the revolution that is defined as the usurpation of earth by the Kingdom of God is a revolution of LOVE. So much so that love is the revolution and love itself is perhaps the most revolutionary act. Moreover, this Kingdom is for the here and now. It's not the light at the end of the tunnel... It's supposed to exist in the tunnel, painted like graffiti on the walls. And once we see ourselves - that is, the body of Christ-followers - as those responsible for making the Kingdom happen, we will begin to take up our spray-paint cans and make His grand design a reality.